US 6,957,506 B1Granted

Offshore treasure recovery apparatus

OwnerLindel R. Fairinventor

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Abstract

Provided herein is a device useful for recovering valuable metallic objects which are located in a submerged location, such as beneath the sand or mud off the shore of a beach or riverbank. A device according to the invention first locates a metallic object using a conventional metal detector comprising a coil that is disposed about the end of a pickup conduit. Once a metallic object is located, the operator causes the sand, mud and other debris in the vicinity of the end of the pickup conduit to be admitted into the device and filtered through a recovery basket which comprises a mesh or screen. Valuable objects so located and collected are readily recovered by the operator of the device by opening a door portion which is integral to the recovery basket. By its configuration, the weight distribution of a device according to the invention is such that it may be used for extended periods by an operator without undergoing fatigue.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A device useful for detecting and retrieving metallic objects from underwater locations, comprising:

a) a substantially linear shaft housing having a first end portion, a second end portion, and a hollow interior space, inside of which space is disposed a driveshaft, said drive shaft having a first end portion and a second end portion;
b) a liquid pump having an impeller, a fluid inlet, and a fluid outlet, wherein said impeller is in effective mechanical contact with said second end portion of said drive shaft;
c) a substantially linear main conduit portion having an inlet end portion, an outlet end portion, and an interior space,
d) a transfer conduit means for conveying liquid from said fluid outlet of said liquid pump to said inlet portion of said main conduit portion;
e) a pickup conduit having a first end portion, a second end portion, and an interior space, wherein said first end portion of said pickup conduit is attached to said main conduit such that the interior spaces of said main conduit and said pickup conduit are in effective fluid communication with one another;
and
f) a metal detecting means having a coil portion, wherein said coil portion is annularly disposed about said pickup conduit portion,
wherein said shaft housing and said main conduit portion are oriented to be substantially parallel to one another.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.