Mobile collapsible floating oil container
AssigneeGnesys, Inc.
InventorsBoyd Greene, Naji Nassif
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This invention relates to a flexible, collapsible, floating container (1) for receiving and holding liquids such as oil recovered from oil spills. Specifically, the invention relates to a continuous, sealed, collapsible container having an upper portion which has a positivebuoyancy to maintain an upright position of the container while collapsed and when filled with oil. A rigid ring (2) with a valve (4) for introducing the liquid is located in the upper portion. A stabilizer to prevent rotation and provide stability may be attached to a lower portion of the container. A strengthening layer, such as nylon mesh (16) could be added to surround the container (1), as well as a harness for lifting the container out of the water. The container (1) expands and floats as it becomes filled.
Claims20
A collapsible floating container for receiving and holding liquids, comprising;
- a flexible, buoyant upper portion having an upper and a lower surface and a perimeter,
- a flexible lower portion also having a perimeter and a buoyancy less than that of the upper portion,
- a rigid ring located substantially in the center of the upper buoyant portion, having a valve for connectingly and sealingly receiving a hose or pipe fitting, and
- wherein the buoyant upper portion is sealingly joined along its perimeter to the perimeter of the lower portion to form a body portion, and provides a buoyancy sufficient to cause the container to float when in an unfilled, collapsed state, and the lower portion operates as a ballast to keep the container in an upright position when in a partially or fully filled state and to keep the rigid ring and valve at the top of the container, and
- wherein the addition of a liquid through the valve while the container is in the collapsed state causes the container to expand to a filled state in which the container remains floatable and in a stable, upright position.
A collapsible floating container for receiving and holding liquids, comprising;
- a body portion having a flexible, buoyant upper portion joined to a flexible lower portion having a buoyancy less than the upper portion, forming a continuous, sealed container, and further comprising
- a rigid ring located substantially in the center of the upper buoyant portion, having a valve for connectingly and sealingly receiving a hose or pipe fitting, a stabilizer extending downward along a vertical axis from the lower portion to provide stability of the container within the water, support means to aide in removing the container from the water when filled, and
- wherein the upper portion is sufficiently buoyant to float the container in an upright position when filled with liquid, even if the liquid has a density greater than the water in which the container floats.
A collapsible floating container for receiving and holding liquids, comprising;
- a flexible, continuous, single-piece body portion in the form of a bladder having an upper surface and a lower surface, constructed of a materials that is chemically resistant to a liquid to be added to the container,
- a buoyant upper portion as a separate layer removably covering the upper surface of the body portion,
- a rigid ring located substantially in the center of the upper surface of the body portion, having a valve for connectingly and sealingly receiving a hose or pipe fitting, and
- wherein the buoyant upper portion provides a buoyancy sufficient to cause the container to float when in an unfilled, collapsed state, and to maintain the container floating and in an upright position even when the container is filled with liquid having a density greater than the water in which the container floats and to keep the rigid ring and valve at the top of the container, and
- wherein the addition of a liquid through the valve while the container is in the collapsed state causes the container to expand to a filled state in which the container remains floatable and in a stable, upright position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.