Apparatus and method for collecting marine debris
AssigneeTechnika Engineering Ltd.
InventorRadé SVORCAN
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for collecting floating marine debris comprises a frame, a debris collection container in communication with a rear opening of the frame, a pair of helicoidal screws mounted to the frame in a symmetrical V-arrangement that tapers inwardly from a front opening of the frame to the rear opening, and at least one prime mover rotationally coupled to the pair of helicoidal screws. The prime mover is operable to rotate the helicoidal screws in opposite directions at the same angular velocity in water to move the apparatus forward through the water, such that floating marine debris enters the apparatus through the front opening, passes through the rear opening and is collected in the debris collection container.
Claims14
An apparatus for collecting floating marine debris, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a frame having a front opening and a rear opening;
- (b) a debris container in communication with the rear opening;
- (c) a pair of helicoidal screws mounted to the frame in a symmetrical V-arrangement that tapers inwardly from the front opening to the rear opening;
- and
- (d) at least one prime mover rotationally coupled to the pair of helicoidal screws, and operable to rotate the helicoidal screws in opposite directions at a same angular velocity in water to move the apparatus forward through the water, such that floating marine debris enters the apparatus through the front opening, passes through the rear opening and is collected in the debris container.
A method for collecting floating marine debris, the method comprising:
- (a) positioning a pair of helicoidal screws in water in a symmetrical V-arrangement that tapers inwardly to define a front opening and a rear opening that is narrower than the front opening;
- (b) rotating the pair of helicoidal screws in opposite directions at a same angular velocity in water, such that the helicoidal screws move forward through the water and towards the floating marine debris;
- and
- (c) collecting the floating marine debris passing through the front opening and the rear opening in a debris container in communication with the rear opening.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.