U.S. patent application number 09/315736 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-03 for water circulation apparatus and method.
Invention is credited to BELEH, JOEL JOHN, KUDRNA, GARY ALLEN, OBRITSCH, TAIT JOSEPH, RUZICKA, WAYNE EVERET, TORMASCHY, WILLARD RICAHARD.
Application Number | 20020001529 09/315736 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23225822 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020001529 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TORMASCHY, WILLARD RICAHARD ;
et al. |
January 3, 2002 |
WATER CIRCULATION APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
This circulation device is equipped with a water impeller that
is larger than and tightly fitted over the top of the draft tube
through which the water from the pond or reservoir is drawn. By
placing the impeller above and out of the draft tube it enables the
present invention to lift water up through the draft tube and
imparts a centrifugal force on the water above the impeller which
aids in moving the water radially outward from the impeller. The
water is then directed outwardly over a large diffuser plate that
is centrally located within the invention. The outer edge of the
diffuser plate is equipped with a laminar flow diffuser lip which
is specifically designed to inhibit the passage of water from the
diffuser plate to the open water as little as possible. This design
feature ensures that most of the energy imparted to the water by
the impeller is retained once it leaves the diffuser plate, making
the invention as a whole operate more efficiently.
Inventors: |
TORMASCHY, WILLARD RICAHARD;
(DICKINSON, ND) ; RUZICKA, WAYNE EVERET;
(BISMARCK, ND) ; BELEH, JOEL JOHN; (DICKINSON,
ND) ; KUDRNA, GARY ALLEN; (DICKINSON, ND) ;
OBRITSCH, TAIT JOSEPH; (FAIRFIELD, ND) |
Correspondence
Address: |
CURTIS V HARR
P O BOX 2842
FARGO
ND
581082842
|
Family ID: |
23225822 |
Appl. No.: |
09/315736 |
Filed: |
May 20, 1999 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
417/423.9 ;
210/170.05; 210/242.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02W 10/10 20150501;
Y02W 10/37 20150501; C02F 3/165 20130101; C02F 3/145 20130101; B01F
23/23421 20220101 |
Class at
Publication: |
417/423.9 ;
210/170; 210/242.2 |
International
Class: |
F04B 035/04 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A distribution dish for a liquid circulation apparatus for
circulating liquid from lower levels to the upper surface for
mixing and exposure to the atmosphere, said circulation apparatus
having a drive system to move the liquid through said distribution
dish so as to evenly distribute the liquid, said distribution dish
comprising: a circular dish placed just below the upper surface of
said liquid said dish having outer walls with an upper edge and a
lower edge, said outer walls tapering down and inward from said
upper edge to said lower edge so as to define an upper opening and
a lower opening, said lower opening having an area substantially
less that of said upper opening; and an upper horizontal lip
defined by said circular dishes upper edge, said upper lip being
substantially parallel to said upper surface of said water.
2. A distribution dish as in claim 1 further comprising a draft
tube extending vertically downward from said lower opening of said
distribution dish such that said draft tube is orientated
substantially perpendicular to said upper surface.
3. A distribution dish as in claim 2 further comprising a vertical
plate fixedly attached inside of said draft tube, said vertical
plate being substantially perpendicular to said upper surface of
said liquid.
4. A distribution dish as in claim 3 wherein said vertical plate
divides said draft tube into at least two sections.
5. A liquid circulation apparatus for moving liquid from the lower
levels of a body of liquid to the upper surface said liquid
circulation apparatus comprising: a circular dish placed just below
the upper surface of said liquid said dish having outer walls with
an upper edge and a lower edge, said outer walls tapering down and
inward from said upper edge to said lower edge so as to define an
upper opening and a lower opening said lower opening having an area
substantially less that of said upper opening; an upper horizontal
lip defined by said circular dish's upper edge, said upper lip
being substantially parallel to said upper surface of said water;
an impeller mounted in a horizontal position above said lower
opening of said circular dish, said impeller having a diameter at
least as great as the diameter of said lower opening; and a frame
section mounted about said circular dish.
6. A liquid circulation apparatus as in claim 5 further comprising
a plurality of float section attached to said frame section, said
float sections adjusted so as to hold said circular dish in a
position just below the surface of said body of water.
7. A liquid circulation apparatus as in claim 6 further comprising
an electric drive means for rotating said impeller.
8. A liquid circulation apparatus as in claim 7 further comprising
a plurality of solar panels for powering said electric drive means
said solar panels being fixedly attached to said frame section.
9. A liquid circulation apparatus as in claim 8 wherein said
electric drive means and said impeller are removably attached to
said frame section as a single unit.
10. A liquid circulation apparatus as in claim 9 further comprising
a draft hose having a first and second end, said first end being
attached to said draft tube and said second end having a strainer
section.
11. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid
having an upper surface and lower levels said method comprising the
steps of: A. Placing a liquid circulation apparatus in said body of
water; B. Drawing liquid from lower levels of said body of liquid
to a point near the surface; C. Changing the flow direction of said
liquid; D. Distributing said liquid from said lower levels in a 360
degree manner; E. Creating an outwardly expanding laminar flow of
water from said distribution; and F. Repeating steps A to E so as
to start the water turning in a circular fashion spreading out in
all horizontal directions from said liquid circulation apparatus in
a given body of liquid.
12. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid as
in claim 11 further comprising the step of: A1. Powering said
liquid circulation apparatus through the use of a plurality of
solar panels.
13. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid as
in claim 12 wherein Distributing said liquid is accomplished using
a circular distribution dish.
14. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid as
in claim 13 further comprising the step of: D1: supplying said
distribution dish with a horizontal outer lip.
15. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid
having an upper surface and lower levels said method comprising the
steps of: A. Placing a liquid circulation apparatus in said body of
water; B. Drawing liquid from lower levels of said body of liquid a
point near the surface inside of a circular distribution dish on
said liquid circulation apparatus; C. Supplying said distribution
dish with an outer horizontal lip; D. Distributing said water from
said lower levels in a 360 degree manner over said horizontal lip;
E. Creating an outwardly expanding laminar flow of water from said
distribution; and F. Repeating steps B to E so as to start the
water turning in a circular fashion spreading out in all horizontal
directions from said liquid circulation apparatus in a given body
of liquid.
16. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid as
in claim 15 further comprising the step of: A1. Providing said
circulation apparatus with an impeller and drive system for said
impeller.
17. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid as
in claim 16 further comprising the step of: A2. Powering said drive
system through a plurality of solar panels.
18. A method of creating a circulating flow in a body of liquid as
in claim 17 further comprising the step of: A3. Anchoring said
circulation apparatus in a central location in said body of liquid.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a circulation system for a
body of liquid. More specifically, to a floating system for
exchanging or displacing water or other liquids from lower levels
and delivering them to the upper surface to allow for maximum
exposure to the atmosphere.
[0002] In order for many bodies of water to develop and maintain a
healthy eco-system, a non-specific amount of circulation is
typically required. This is because the bacteria necessary for
breaking down or digesting nutrients is immobile, and therefore,
needs to be placed in intimate contact with nutrients, necessary to
thrive, by circulation of the water. Furthermore, in the majority
of applications, bacteria also needs oxygen to survive and
flourish. The most readily available source of oxygen is from the
atmosphere.
[0003] Oxygen can enter the water through contact with the
atmosphere which may be accelerated through mixing, as happens in
nature through waterfalls, streams, rain, and wind. It has been
found that adding artificial aeration, to assist nature, to natural
and man made ponds and lagoons can greatly increase the health of
the ponds. This may be especially useful in sewage lagoons and the
like as the decay process could be accelerated and unpleasant
smells reduced.
[0004] In order to combine the movement of liquid and supplying of
the oxygen, past prior art has typically used one of three methods:
(1) a surface splashing action (2) an aspirator/boat prop effect
which draws atmospheric air in and then forces air bubbles out or
(3) compressing atmospheric air and then releasing it at the bottom
of the body of liquid. In each of these actions two things are
readily apparent (A) high energy input with corresponding high
maintenance needs and (B) the action created is always
turbulent.
[0005] The use of pond aerators on floating bases has been well
established such as those shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,243 granted
to Aide and U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,859 granted to Henager. In these
patents, devices are typically supplied with a draft tube placed
just below the surface of the water. This tube houses a propeller
or impeller that is connected to a drive means. A draft line is
placed at a predetermined depth and connected to the draft tube.
Thus, as the drive means turns, the impeller or propeller draws
water from a certain depth and defuses it at the water surface.
This process circulates and turns the water in the pond. As power
to the pump can be a significant issue in remote areas, such as the
middle of a pond or lake, the efficiency of the whole unit is
crucial to its success. This has required that alternative means of
driving the pump on pond mixers would be desirable. One solution
has been to use wind power, however wind powered pumps are large in
size, expensive, cumbersome, and create a need for complex and
expensive anchoring systems.
[0006] From this discussion it can be seen that a low energy,
circulation method is needed. Such a method or device should be
designed to gently circulate (vs. turbulent mixing) a liquid from
bottom-to-top with a minimum amount of energy and deliver that
liquid to a major oxygen source (the atmosphere) in a manner which
will maximize atmospheric absorption. Further it would be
advantageous to make such a system so that it can be driven by an
inexpensive renewable resource, and thus, able to be used in remote
areas with a minimal amount of setup.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is the primary objective of the present invention to
provide a method of circulating bodies of water in a highly
efficient manner that allows for the use of an extremely low
horsepower pump.
[0008] It is an additional objective of the present invention to
provide a method of circulating bodies of water and thus, increase
their exposure to the atmosphere through the use of an alternative
source of power, such as relatively small solar panels.
[0009] It is a further objective of the present invention to
combine these characteristics in a small, floating, portable device
that can be placed in a desired location and left to circulate a
liquid from a lower elevation to the surface.
[0010] It is a still further objective of the present invention to
provide a method of delivering liquid, through a distribution dish
or diffusor, in a non-turbulent manner that will maximize the
amount of time the liquid remains on the surface.
[0011] These objectives are accomplished by the use of a floating
circulation apparatus that has as an on-board power system
consisting of a plurality of solar panels that produce the entirety
of the power required to drive the water pump. This circulation
device is equipped with a water impeller that is larger than, and
tightly fitted over, the top of the draft tube through which the
water from the pond or reservoir is drawn. By placing the impeller
above and out of the draft tube, the efficiency of the pump will be
greatly increased. Thus, the same amount of horsepower will move a
much larger amount of liquid.
[0012] By having the impeller up and out of the draft tube, it is
also possible to impart movement to the water in two different
ways. First, the impeller moves water by a lifting action which is
caused by the rotation of the auger-like impeller. Second, the
impeller imparts a rotating motion to the water. This rotating
motion will generate centrifugal force, causing even more water
movement or mixing. Prior art circulation devices place the
impeller down in the draft tube and thus, the rotating motion of
the water is wasted as the water is trapped by the walls of the
draft tube.
[0013] The present invention is also equipped with a large flow
distribution or diffuser dish surrounding the impeller. The size
and shape of the impeller works to allow the water to move directly
away from the impeller, radially. Additionally, the flow diffuser
is also equipped with a specially designed outer edge which does
not impede the radial flow of water created by the impeller as it
passes from the diffuser to the surface of the lake or pond. This
allows the present invention to circulate a body of water more
effectively, as the motion imparted to the water by the impeller is
more efficiently passed outside of the diffuser. Thus, the
centrifugal force phenomenon is utilized to create water movement
at the surface which in turn operates to circulate the body of
water.
[0014] For a better understanding of the present invention
reference should be made to the drawings and the description in
which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of
the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention
showing the orientation of its major components and the location of
the water impeller and the water diffuser in relation to the body
of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a top elevation view of the present invention
showing the orientation of the impeller and the diffuser to the
solar panels and the floats.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a side elevation cut-away view of the internal
structure of the present invention showing the manner of
construction of the impeller drive freeze sleeve and the draft tube
and water flow divider.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a side elevation, cut-away view of the diffuser
lip component of the present invention showing the manner in which
it is constructed, so as to not interfere with the flow of water as
it passes outside of the diffuser.
[0019] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the pivoting float
component of the present invention illustrating its orientation as
it fully supports the weight of the invention while it is in the
water.
[0020] FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the pivoting float
component of the present invention illustrating its orientation
when the body of the invention is out of the water and the floats
are not used to support its weight.
[0021] FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the impeller shaft
housing body component of the present invention illustrating the
manner in which it is designed that allows it to be quickly and
easily removed from and installed on the frame members of the
invention.
[0022] FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the present invention
diagraming the manner in which the water flows in a laminar fashion
both from the flow diffuser on the surface of the water and to the
draft tube below the surface of the water.
[0023] FIG. 9 is a top elevation view of the present invention
diagraming the manner in which the water leaves the flow diffuser
in concentric circles of laminar flowing water.
[0024] FIG. 10 is a side elevation view of the present invention
illustrating the positioning of the flow diffuser just below the
surface of the water when the invention is in use.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0025] Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to
FIGS. 1 and 2, the floating water circulation apparatus 10 is made
up of a triangular frame member 28 which provides the structure to
which the other components of the present invention are attached.
The triangular frame member 28 has extending in an outwardly manner
from each point of the triangle the pivoting float arms 38 which in
turn provide the attachment point for the plurality floats 30.
These floats 30 are positioned at the outer edge of the triangular
frame member 28 which provides a greater degree of stability for
the present invention when placed in a body of water and also
serves as lever arms to counteract any rotational forces applied to
the present invention. The outward location of the floats 30 also
serves to keep them from interfering with the flow of the
circulated water. The floats 30 are pivotally attached to the lower
surface of the pivoting float arms 38 and serve to hold the
triangular frame member 28 of the present invention in a horizontal
position above the surface of the body of water to be
circulated.
[0026] The triangular frame member 28 provides for the mounting of
the primary components of the present invention at its center. This
is accomplished by having a plurality of inner support bars 29
extending inward from the triangular frame member 28 and attaching
to the exterior of the impeller shaft housing body 16. This
attachment (which will be discussed in further detail below) serves
to vertically suspend the impeller shaft housing body 16, and all
other components attached to it, within the central portion of the
triangular frame member 28. The result of this configuration is
that the triangular frame member 28 and the floats 30 work in
conjunction to hold the primary components of the present invention
in the proper position relative to the body of water.
[0027] The primary components of the present invention are all
attached to the triangular frame member 28 through the impeller
shaft housing body 16. The end of the electric drive motor 12,
which supplies the rotational force necessary to pump water, is
mounted to the upper most end of the impeller shaft housing body
16. The electric drive motor 12 is equipped with a gear reduction
system that allows the electric drive motor 12 to spin at a high
RPM, but reduces to a substantially lower RPM at the impeller 18.
This allows the use of a relatively low voltage electric drive
motor 12 as the lower RPM of the gear reduction system provides
sufficient torque at the impeller to rotate it even at slow
speeds.
[0028] Directly below the electric drive motor 12 on the impeller
shaft housing body 16 is the electronic control box 14 which is
made up of a sealed box or "potted" to ensure that the electrical
components contained within will operate in wet conditions and will
continue to control the flow of water through the impeller 18. The
electronic control box 14 contains a linear current booster which
takes the supplied voltage and amperage and varies their values to
match the requirements of the electric drive motor 12. The most
common example of this is that the electronic control box 14 will
convert excess voltage to amperage, which allows the electric drive
motor 12 to run for a longer period of time or at a higher speed on
cloudy or hazy days.
[0029] The power necessary to run the present invention is supplied
by a plurality of solar panels 34 which are mounted along each edge
of the triangular frame member 28. The solar panels 34 are each
mounted above the upper surface of the triangular frame member 28
at a slight downwardly facing angle of approximately 20 degrees
which aids in keeping the face of the solar panels 34 free from
debris and rain or heavy dew will have the effect of washing the
surfaces clean. Additionally, the triangular orientation of the
solar panels 34 ensures that the equivalent of two full panels are
always producing power regardless of the present inventions
position on the water with respect to the location of the sun. In
one embodiment of the present invention, each of the solar panels
34 produces 55 watts of electric power and the electric drive motor
12 requires 110 watts to operate at its maximum capacity. The
positioning of the solar panels 34 on the triangular frame member
28 ensures that the electric drive motor 12 will always have enough
power to operate in an efficient manner. It must be stated at this
point that other sizes of solar panels 34 and electric motor 12 may
be used to optimize the current invention for any given size
pond.
[0030] The triangular frame member 28 of the present invention is
also equipped with support legs 36 which extend downward into the
body of water. These support legs are also individually attached to
the outer most edge of the flow diffuser 20 which helps to secure
the flow diffuser 20 in the proper orientation, within the body of
the invention. Additionally, the support legs 36 also provide a
means of support for the present invention in the event that the
body of water is emptied or dries up or for storage purposes.
[0031] The impeller shaft housing body 16 extends downward from its
point of attachment with the inner support bars 29 to a point just
above the water impeller 18. The water impeller 18 is located
directly above the upper opening of the draft tube 22. It is
important to note that the opening of the draft tube 22 is slightly
smaller in diameter than the outside diameter of the water impeller
18. This configuration serves to create a more efficient pump as
the larger diameter impeller 18 creates a partial seal over the
smaller draft tube 22 opening which does not allow water to
recirculate back down into the draft tube 22. This configuration
results in a more efficient pumping action. The draft tube 22 is
then connected at its lower most end to the draft hose 24 which
extends down into the body of water to the desired depth. The
lowest end of the draft hose 24 is equipped with a debris strainer
26 which ensures that no unwanted debris will enter and clog the
present invention.
[0032] As the impeller 18 is rotated by the electric drive motor 12
it draws up water from the bottom of the body of water through the
draft hose 24 and draft tube 22. Once the water passes through the
water impeller 18 it enters the large bowl shaped flow diffuser 20
which is attached to the upper edge of the draft tube 22 and
extends upward and outward therefrom. The flow diffuser captures
the water as it leaves the draft tube 22 and gently directs the
water, so as not to decrease overall efficiency, directly on to the
surface of the water. The result of this is that an outward motion
is created on the surface, which then causes induced flow, causing
the entire body of water to go into motion.
[0033] Conversely, the rotating motion below the impeller 18 tends
to diminish the efficiency of the pumping action. The present
invention employs a device to counteract this effect which is
illustrated in FIG. 3. The draft tube 22 is equipped with a flow
diverter vane 46 which dissects its interior into two equal parts.
The flow diverter vane 46 limits the circular flow of water within
the draft tube 22 and by this, increases the efficiency of the
water impeller 18 as it rotates just above the flow diverter vane
46 with very little clearance between the two. This ensures that
most of the energy used to generate motion in the water within the
flow diffuser 20 is transferred through the water over the surface
of the water being circulated.
[0034] The construction of the impeller shaft housing body 16
(along with other features of the present invention)is also
illustrated in FIG. 3 which shows the location of the impeller
drive shaft 44 within the impeller shaft housing body 16. The water
impeller 18 is connected directly to the impeller drive shaft 44,
not to the impeller shaft housing body 16, and is suspended in a
cantilever manner by the impeller drive shaft 44. The connection of
the impeller shaft housing body 16 to the triangular frame member
28 of the present invention (which is further detailed in FIG. 7)
is accomplished by the use of the upper shaft attachment hook 48
and the lower shaft attachment hook 50 both of which are
protrusions from the side of the body of the impeller shaft housing
body 16 which have downwardly oriented slot-like openings. It is
into these openings that the inner support bars 29, which fit
inside of the slot of the upper shaft attachment hook 48, and the
lower shaft attachment bars 42, which fit into the slot of the
lower shaft attachment hook 50, slip into to hold the entire
central assembly of the present invention in place.
[0035] Conversely, to remove the impeller shaft housing body 16
(and therefore the impeller 18, the electric motor 12, and the
electronic control box 14) one simply lifts up on the impeller
shaft housing body 16 until the slots of the upper and lower shaft
attachment hooks, 48 and 50, are clear of the inner support bars 29
and the lower shaft attachment arms 42 respectively. This system of
attachment for the impeller shaft housing body 16 and all of the
components of the invention that are attached to it, allow for easy
removal from the body of the invention for service or
replacement.
[0036] The electronic control box 14, which is mounted to the upper
side of the impeller shaft housing body 16, serves to contain all
of the electronic controls for the present invention. In this
capacity, there are a plurality of control wires that run to and
from the electronic control box 14. The first of these are the
plurality of panel to control box feed lines 52 which connect the
solar panels 34 to the electronic control box 14 and transmit the
energy generated in the solar panels 34 to the electronic control
box 14. This energy is then processed by the electronic control box
14 and sent to the electric drive motor 12 by use of the box to
motor feed wire 54. Thus, the electric drive motor 12 uses energy
created by the solar panels 34 to drive the impeller 18, causing
the body of water to be circulated.
[0037] The primary function of the present invention, to circulate
the water contained in lakes or ponds, is best illustrated in FIG.
8. As the impeller 18 of the invention rotates, it drives the
process which circulates water throughout the body of the pond 70,
that eventually allows the water to become oxygenated naturally.
This ensures that the body of water will remain in a healthy state
by keeping the levels of algae in the proper ratio to the size of
the pond 70.
[0038] The process of oxygenating the water occurs as a result of a
plurality of events occurring at the same time. The first of these
is that the rotation of the impeller 18 forces water out of the
flow diffuser 20 over the laminar flow diffuser lip 21 creating the
surface laminar flow 66. The surface laminar flow 66 is a very thin
layer of water flowing on the surface at a very low velocity.
Additionally, the surface laminar flow 66 occurs in a radial manner
from the invention (an occurrence that is best illustrated in the
diagram in FIG. 9) which ensures that it will eventually extend to
all portions of the surface of the pond 70.
[0039] While the surface laminar flow 66 is being forced out of the
present invention at the surface of the pond 70, an additional
layer of water is being drawn into the draft hose 24 through the
strainer 26 below the surface of the pond 70. This layer of water,
which acts in much the same manner as the surface laminar flow 66,
is called the under water laminar flow 68 and it is the water that
is drawn up the draft hose 24 to be re-circulated by the impeller
18. The under water laminar flow 68 is a very thin layer of water
that is flowing at a very low velocity. Finally, as the draft hose
24 draws this layer of water equally from all portions of the pond
70, the water is moving towards the draft hose 24 in a radial
manner, which ensures that all the water in the pond 70 is involved
in the circulation process.
[0040] The action of the surface laminar flow 66 and the under
water laminar flow 68 creates an induced flow in the rest of the
water contained in the pond 70. The induced flow means that as
water molecules that are contained within the surface and under
water laminar flows, 66 and 68, move away from or towards the
present invention, they are replaced by other water molecules
contained in the body of the pond 70. This action causes all of the
water to eventually be drawn into the circulating action driven by
the impeller 18 of the invention. The result of this is that over
time, all of the water in the pond 70 will reach the surface where
it will come into contact with the atmosphere. Once the water
contacts the atmosphere, it will absorb oxygen naturally, thus,
oxygenating the entire pond 70.
[0041] The water dispersion and circulation function of the present
invention is also enhanced by the use of the laminar flow diffuser
lip 21 which forms the outermost edge of the flow diffuser 20 and
which is further detailed in FIG. 4. The laminar flow diffuser lip
21 functions to lessen the difference between the water within the
flow diffuser 20 and the water outside of it. This is accomplished
by constructing a lip that is different than the body of the flow
diffuser 20. Additionally, the body of the flow diffuser 20 sits
below the water line 62 when the present invention is placed in a
lake or pond 70 which is illustrated in FIG. 10. This relative
position of the flow diffuser 20 in relation to the water line 62
further enhances the function of the laminar flow diffuser lip 21
as it allows waves of water moving outward from the impeller 18 to
pass freely between the laminar flow diffuser lip 21 and the water
line 62.
[0042] Therefore, as water passes from the interior of the flow
diffuser 20 to open water, the laminar flow diffuser lip 21
interacts with it as little as possible so that the motion imparted
upon the water by the impeller 18 is not disrupted by the passing
from the body of the diffuser 20 to the open water, which allows
the present invention to operate at maximum efficiency. This
function of the laminar flow diffuser lip 21 is further illustrated
in FIG. 9 which clearly shows how the concentric waves 64 created
by the rotation of the impeller 18 pass freely from the body of the
flow diffuser 20 to the open water of the lake or pond. These
features of the present invention ensure that the maximum amount of
water possible is circulated by the rotation of the impeller
18.
[0043] The floats 30 and float support apparatuses of the present
invention are constructed in a manner that allows the floats 30 to
pivot in regards to the central body of the invention and this
mechanism is illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The float 30 itself is
pivotally attached at its most inward end (in relation to the body
of the invention) to the most outward end of the pivoting float arm
38 which is in turn pivotally attached at its most inward end to
the inner sections of the support legs 36 of the invention.
Additionally, at the point of attachment of the floats 30 to the
pivoting float arms 38, the pivoting float arms 38 are formed into
a downwardly oriented ninety degree bend. The purpose of this bend
is that it allows the float 30 to pivot freely without any
interference from the body of the pivoting float arm 38.
[0044] The floats 30 and the pivoting float arms 38 are also
equipped with a pivoting float arm support 40 which helps to keep
the floats 30 in the proper position in relation to the body of the
invention. The pivoting float arm supports 40 are made up of three
components and span the distance between the outer portion of the
support legs 36 and the most outward end of the pivoting float arm
38. The portion of the pivoting float arms 38 that are attached to
the support legs 36 are called the float arm support attachment
bars 56, they extend along a portion of the outer edge of the
support legs 36 above the level that the floats 30 rest when they
are in their upward position. The uppermost end of these float arm
support attachment bars 56 have pivotally attached to them the
upper pivoting float support bars 58 which extend outward from this
point of attachment. Finally, the upper pivoting float support bars
58 have pivotally attached to them towards their outer ends the
lower pivoting float support bars 60 which extend downward to the
point where they are pivotally attached to the upper edge of the
pivoting float arm 38.
[0045] The function of the pivoting float arm support 40 is best
shown in the differences between the illustrations in FIG. 5 and
FIG. 6. In FIG. 5 the floats 30 are in an upward position which
most commonly occurs when the present invention is in the water and
the floats 30 are supporting its entire weight. Conversely, when
the invention is out of the water for storage the floats 30 drop
down as illustrated in FIG. 6. The pivoting float arm supports 40
help to guide the pivoting float arm 38 through this pivoting
motion and ensure that the floats 30 remain in the correct
orientation in relation to the body of the invention.
[0046] Although the present invention has been described in
considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions
thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and
scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the
description of the preferred versions contained herein.
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