Float type wave energy extraction apparatus and method

Claim 1

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, comprising: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the bottom end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; an anchor means, flexibly connected to said piston rod, for anchoring said piston rod relative to said cylinder; a float means, connected to said cylinder, for upstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking cylinder expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said cylinder in such a manner that said float means floats above said cylinder when said pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and a mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston, for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means, and between said cylinder and said anchor means and for downstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking cylinder draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 2

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, comprising: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the bottom end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; an anchor means, flexibly connected to said piston rod, for anchoring said piston rod relative to said cylinder; a float means, connected to said cylinder, for upstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking cylinder expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said cylinder in such a manner that said float means floats above said cylinder when said pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and a mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston, for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means, and between said cylinder and said anchor means and for downstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking cylinder draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 9

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, comprising: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the top end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; an anchor means, flexibly connected to said cylinder, for anchoring said cylinder relative to said piston; a float means, connected to said piston rod exteriorly of said cylinder, for upstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking piston expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said piston rod in such a manner that said float means floats above said piston rod and cylinder when the pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and a mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means, and between said piston and said anchor means and for resiliently downstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking piston draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 10

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, comprising: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the top end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; an anchor means, flexibly connected to said cylinder, for anchoring said cylinder relative to said piston; a float means, connected to said piston rod exteriorly of said cylinder, for upstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking piston expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said piston rod in such a manner that said float means floats above said piston rod and cylinder when the pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and a mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means, and between said piston and said anchor means and for resiliently downstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking piston draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 17

A method of converting the wave energy of a body of water to electrical energy, comprising the steps of: flexibly anchoring a reciprocating pump having a piston and a cylinder in the body of water; mechanically connecting a mechanical tensioning means between said piston and said cylinder; connecting an inlet check valve and an outlet check valve to said cylinder: connecting a float on the water surface to said pump; sizing said float and pump and the connection between said float and pump to allow rising wave action of the body of water to raise said float and to stroke said piston relative to said cylinder, thereby pumping water through said outlet check valve with said pump; sizing said mechanical tensioning means to maintain resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder as said float rises and falls with wave action and to utilize the resilient tension to stroke said piston relative to said cylinder as said float falls with falling wave action, thereby drawing water from said body of water through said inlet check valve into said pump and holding said float in tension between the water surface and said pump; conducting the water pumped from said pump through a conduit to a water storage tank above the surface of said body of water; and using the water in said storage tank to operate a hydroelectric generator for making electrical power.

Claim 18

A method of converting the wave energy of a body of water to electrical energy, comprising the steps of: flexibly anchoring a reciprocating pump having a piston and a cylinder in the body of water; mechanically connecting a mechanical tensioning means between said piston and said cylinder; connecting an inlet check valve and an outlet check valve to said cylinder: connecting a float on the water surface to said pump; sizing said float and pump and the connection between said float and pump to allow rising wave action of the body of water to raise said float and to stroke said piston relative to said cylinder, thereby pumping water through said outlet check valve with said pump; sizing said mechanical tensioning means to maintain resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder as said float rises and falls with wave action and to utilize the resilient tension to stroke said piston relative to said cylinder as said float falls with falling wave action, thereby drawing water from said body of water through said inlet check valve into said pump and holding said float in tension between the water surface and said pump; conducting the water pumped from said pump through a conduit to a water storage tank above the surface of said body of water; and using the water in said storage tank to operate a hydroelectric generator for making electrical power.

Claim 21

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, consisting essentially of: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the bottom end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; anchor means, flexibly connected to said piston rod, for anchoring said piston rod relative to said cylinder; float means, connected to said cylinder, for upstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking cylinder expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said cylinder in such a manner that said float means floats above said cylinder when said pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston, for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means and between said cylinder and said anchor means and for downstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking cylinder draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 22

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, consisting essentially of: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the bottom end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; anchor means, flexibly connected to said piston rod, for anchoring said piston rod relative to said cylinder; float means, connected to said cylinder, for upstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking cylinder expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said cylinder in such a manner that said float means floats above said cylinder when said pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston, for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means and between said cylinder and said anchor means and for downstroking said cylinder relative to said piston in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking cylinder draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 29

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, consisting essentially of: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the top end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; anchor means, flexibly connected to said cylinder, for anchoring said cylinder relative to said piston; float means, connected to said piston rod exteriorly of said cylinder, for upstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking piston expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said piston rod in such a manner that said float means floats above said piston rod and cylinder when the pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston, for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means, and between said piston and said anchor means and for resiliently downstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking piston draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.

Claim 30

An apparatus for pumping water using energy from wave action in a body of water, consisting essentially of: a cylinder having a top end and having a bottom end; a reciprocal piston in said cylinder, said piston including a piston rod connected to said piston and extending sealably out the top end of said cylinder; an inlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for drawing water into said cylinder from the body of water and an outlet extending through the wall of said cylinder for expelling water from said cylinder; an inlet check valve connected to said inlet and an outlet check valve connected to said outlet, the outlet check valve being connectable to a conduit, the conduit being extendable to an area where pumped water may be usefully employed; anchor means, flexibly connected to said cylinder, for anchoring said cylinder relative to said piston; float means, connected to said piston rod exteriorly of said cylinder, for upstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a rising wave action, whereby said upstroking piston expels water through said outlet check valve in response to rising wave action, said float means being connected to said piston rod in such a manner that said float means floats above said piston rod and cylinder when the pumping apparatus is placed in the body of water; and mechanical tensioning means, mechanically connected between said cylinder and said piston, for continuously maintaining resilient tension between said piston and said cylinder, between said float and said anchor means, and between said piston and said anchor means and for resiliently downstroking said piston relative to said cylinder in response to a falling wave action, whereby said downstroking piston draws water into said cylinder through said inlet check valve in response to falling wave action.