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US 5,565,096 AGranted
Natural filter for ecological system
OwnerJohn J. Phelaninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A natural filter for ecological systems is provided. The apparatus includes a rock medium container for holding rocks for filtering life, means for circulating water, means for floating the apparatus, and means for supplying sunlight to the filtering life and the normally unreachable depths of water. This natural filter maintains a healthful environment for aquatic creatures by providing means to naturally circulate and cleanse the water thus encouraging biological growth and preventing the eutrophication of that body of water.
Claims7
A natural filter for ecological systems, comprising:
- (a) a rock medium container having a bottom, a top, and a side having an inside surface and an outside surface, said container being closed near the bottom and open at the top;
- (b) a perforated structure having a bottom, and a top, said perforated structure having a plurality of perforations, said perforated structure having a hole in the center thereof, said perforated structure being mounted within the rock medium container near its bottom;
- (c) a water circulation tube having a lower end and an upper end, said tube being centrally mounted in the hole in the center of the top of the perforated structure, said water circulation tube extending above the opening in the top of the rock medium container;
- (d) a plurality of supports fixedly attached to the inside surface of the rock medium container, said supports extending above the upper end of the water circulation tube;
- (e) a buoyant plate fixedly attached to and resting on said plurality of supports, said buoyant plate having a number of holes running therethrough, said buoyant plate having a hole centrally located therein;
- (f) a windmill assembly for the driving of water into the lower end of the water circulation tube and forcing the water out the upper end of the tube;
- (g) a rock medium disposed within the rock medium container within the region defined as above the perforated structure and outside the water circulation tube;
- and
- (h) a plurality of optic fiber bundles, each bundle having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end of each bundle being inserted in a hole in the lower surface of the buoyant plate and extending downward therefrom, and the lower end of said bundle flaring outward into a spray formation of optic fiber strands, each of the strands of the spray extending downward into and permeating the rock medium.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.