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US 6,685,518 B1Granted
Buoyant device that resists entanglement by whales and boats
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorClifford A. Goudey
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorClifford A. Goudey
Estimating the term…
A buoy reduces the risk of whale entanglement in fixed fishing gear and other equipment. The buoy is a replacement for a conventional buoy used to mark and to facilitate the retrieval of the gear. One embodiment has a relatively long flexible tapered stem at the buoy's line end. It may be made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is the same material used to make common inflatable buoys and marine fenders, or any other suitably flexible, durable material. The free end of the buoy is shaped like a conventional lobster pot buoy, having a generally constant diameter, and a generally constant flexibility over its constant diameter. This free end meets the tapered line end at a transition region. The long stem is tapered and provides a stiffness profile having a gradual transition from the buoy line's extreme flexibility to the more rigid, buoyant body portion of the buoy. The free end may be relatively solid, like a conventional lobster pot buoy, or, it may be hollow. The entire buoy may be roto-molded in one piece, or, it may be made by joining a free end portion that is very similar to a conventional lobster pot buoy, to a molded, tapered line end portion.
A method of making a buoy, for use with a line that may be coupled to underwater equipment, said method comprising:
A buoy, for use with a line that may be coupled to underwater equipment, said buoy comprising an elongated buoyant body comprising:
A buoy, for use with a line that may be coupled to underwater equipment, said buoy comprising an elongated buoyant body comprising:
A buoy, for use with a line that may be coupled to underwater equipment, said buoy comprising an elongated buoyant body comprising:
A method of making a buoy, for use with a line that may be coupled to underwater equipment, said method comprising:
A buoy, for use with a line that may be coupled to underwater equipment, said buoy comprising an elongated buoyant body comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.