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US 7,841,289 B1Granted
Water level and/or sub surface water transporter/storage systems for liquids and solids simultaneously or in single cargo
OwnerRichard W. Schanzinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lightweight towed submersible water transporter and storage system for liquids and solids, which employs a streamlined towable hull with exterior ballast/buoyancy cells and optional air and liquid storage bladders used not only to adjust buoyancy, but to allow the simultaneous transport and storage of different solids and liquids.
Claims19
A water level and/or sub surface water transporter and storage system for liquids and solids comprising:
- a. a towable fillable submergible streamlined ellipsoid shaped transporter hull with an interior with forward and rear towing attachment ends, a top with an air chamber, which when filled with air keeps the transporter upright and level during transport and provides rigidity for transport, fill ports and emptying ports in communication with the hull interior structured to fill the interior with air, solids, and liquids and then emptied from docks and/or surface vessels;
- said hull constructed of a material, which is collapsible, when empty, for lightweight transport in a transport mode,
- b. longitudinal ballast/buoyancy cells associated with the exterior of the hull, which are inflatable with gases or liquids to adjust buoyancy for the submerged transporter to be towed at a desired depth and act as pneumatic fenders
- c. a cordlike connecting spine passing through the hull to connect the towing attachment ends to provide longitudinal reinforcement to prevent longitudinal hull distortion during towing transport,
- d. surface towing vessel filling and emptying means associated during towing with the hull fill ports and emptying ports to inject air or gases, and
- e. a controller mounted on the surface towing vessel associated with the surface towing vessel filling and emptying means to adjust the air or gases in the bladders, ballast/buoyancy cells, and hull of the transporter to the required rigidity and buoyancy to tow the transporter at a desired speed and depth during transport mode, and to position and store the transporter at a desired storage location in a storage and/or unloading mode.
3 more elements
A submersible transporter system for liquids and solids comprising:
- a. a plurality of towable submergible streamlined ellipsoid shaped inflatable hulls with front and rear towing attachment ends, each having:
- i. one or more finable bladder liners mounted within the hull and structured to carry different liquids and solids without cross contamination and avoiding the need to clean out the hull when changing products, each with top air chambers, which when filled with air keeps the storage container upright and level;
- with the bladder liners positioned below water to equalize load pressure and provide rigidity;
- ii. fill ports and emptying ports;
- iii. a cordlike connecting spine passing through the hull and the insertable bladder liners to connect the towing attachment ends to provide longitudinal reinforcement to prevent longitudinal hull distortion during towing transport;
- said hull and bladder liners constructed of a material, which holds either solids or liquids;
- b. longitudinal ballast/buoyancy cells associated with the exterior of the hulls, which are inflatable with air/gases or liquids to adjust buoyancy and act as pneumatic fenders,
- c. an internal lateral support curtain secured within the hull structured to limit the amount of loading to insure that a desired draft is maintained, when filled,
- and
- d. a loading station controller associated with a supply of air, liquids and solids and the fill ports and emptying ports to fill the inflatable hull, ballast/buoyancy cells, and bladder liners at a required rigidity and weight for storage buoyancy in a filling mode, and empty the hull and bladder liners in an emptying mode.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.