Water surface cleaner, method and apparatus

A water surface cleaner comprising a body floatable on a water surface, the body having a water guide passage extending therethrough, having an intake port and a rear end respectively adjacent front and rear ends of said body, a surface current generating means for generating on the water surface forward of said body an effective current flowing toward said water guide passage, a water surface floatage collecting system provided at the rear end of the body and connected with said water guide passage, and a float means for hanging said surface floatage correcting section at and under the water surface, said surface current generating means comprising a pump with an inlet communicating with a lower region of the passage for sucking water present in said water guide passage, and conduit means connected to the pump outlet and a nozzle for discharging water into said passage in the general direction of the rear end of the body, and an enclosure formed on the body in the lower region of the water guide passage, said enclosure substantially surrounding the inlet and having an opening facing the front end of the body to permit said inlet to suck water into said enclosure.

The method of water surface cleaning comprising advancing a floatable body with a water passage extending therethrough from a front to a rear end thereof, generating in water forward of the body an effective current flowing from a front end of the water guide passage to the rearward, sucking water present in the water guide passage, discharging water into said passage in the general direction of the rear end of the body, and discharging water in a generally opposite direction forwardly of the front end of the water guide passage, collecting material flowing outward from a rear end of the body and the water guide passage in a floating collecting means connected to the rear end of the body.