Skimmer
AssigneeLaitram, L.L.C.
InventorsChristopher G. Greve, Robert S. Lapeyre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self-floating skimmer that can operate remotely from a vessel. Pontoons allow the skimmer to float at the surface of a body of water. An inclined belt conveyor whose lower end is submerged just below the surface of the water conveys material to be collected up the incline to the upper end where it is dumped from the surface of the belt into a collection tank below. For convenience in storage or transit, the skimmers can be stacked atop one another. The belt conveyor can include a bidirectional conveyor belt that is driven in either direction by a selectively reversible drive motor.
Claims27
A skimmer comprising:
- a frame;
- a pair of floats mounted on opposite outer sides of the frame and having parallel float axes defining a horizontal plane when floating in a body of water;
- a belt conveyor mounted to the frame between the pair of floats and defining a conveying path inclined relative to the horizontal plane between a lower end and an upper end, wherein the belt conveyor includes:
- a rotating drive element at the upper end of the belt conveyor;
- a reversing element at the lower end of the belt conveyor;
- an endless conveyor belt trained around the rotating drive element and the reversing element and driven by the rotating drive element along the conveying path including an underwater portion at the lower end of the belt conveyor at which material to be skimmed is captured;
- a trough positioned below the conveyor belt to catch skimmed material falling off the conveyor belt.
A skimmer comprising:
- a frame;
- a pair of floats mounted on opposite outer sides of the frame and having parallel float axes defining a horizontal plane when floating in a body of water;
- a belt conveyor mounted to the frame between the pair of floats and defining a conveying path inclined relative to horizontal plane between a lower end and an upper end, wherein the belt conveyor includes:
- an endless conveyor belt arranged to advance along the conveying path including an underwater portion at the lower end of the belt conveyor at which material to be skimmed is captured;
- a selectively reversible motor to selectively drive the conveyor belt in either direction along the conveying path;
- a trough positioned below the conveyor belt to catch skimmed material falling off the conveyor belt.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.