675

G. NEW PATENTS

This Section contains abstracts and, where appropriate, illustrations of recently issued United States patents and published patent applications filed from over 30 countries under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This in- formation was obtained from recent additions to the Pergamon PATSEARCH ® on-line data base in accord- ance with interest profiles developed by the Editors.

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4379388

O C E A N RAFT ENERGY GENERATOR

Byrl L. Williamson; Bett Williamson

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A system for generating electricity con- tained within an ocean raft. The raft has a series of raceways for heavy metal balls, and, as they roll back and forth, they engage levers which reciprocate back-to- back paired pistons in oppositie direc- tions. Each pressurizing movement of a piston discharges a jet of fluid to a com- mon pressure tank from which the pres- surized fluid drives a turbine.

4379054

OPEN SEA SKIMMER BARGE

William M. Ayers; assigned to Halli- burton Company

676 G. New Patents OLR (1983) 30 (8)

An open sea skimmer barge for use as a dredge comprising a hull having a bow, bottom, side walls, stern having a substantially horizontal elongate slot ex- tending across a portion thereof and a deck, a spill suction tunnel, a collection tank, secotldary oil separation means and tertiary oil separation means.

4377982

SPHERICAL VEHICLE FOR OPERATION IN A FLUID

MEDIUM

Claving A. Gongwer; assigned to The Bendix Corporation

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A spherical vehicle for operation in a fluid medium utilizes an impeller of approx- imately half the diameter of the sphere for propulsion. In addition to providing the energy for driving the sphere, the pro- peller acts to draw the flow of fluid smoothly over the after part of the sphere, thus avoiding or minimizing the tendency of the flow to separate from the surface of the sphere and create turbulence. Steering

in pitch and yhaw planes is effected through the use of a plurality of drag pins located just behind the circle of maximum diameter (with respect to the direction of motion) and selectively actuated by a guidance or control system. A plurality of stub Vortex generators are also located on the after side of the sphere and are angled to oppose the torque created by the pro- peller. The center of gravity is located substantially below the geometric center of the sphere. The particular embodiment shown is an electrically (batter) powered underwater vehicle, but the same general configuration also applies to a lighter- than-air vehicle traveling through air, or to a manned submarine vehicle having the usual propulsion system.

4377509

PACKAGING FOR OCEAN DISPOSAL OF LOW-LEVEL

RADIOACTIVE WASTER MATERIAL

Harvey H. Haynes; Robert Rail; assigned to The United States of America as repre- sented by the Secretary of the Navy

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A packaging system for storage of con- tainers of low-level radioactive waste con- sisting of a concrete shell structure that houses the containers and a dry filler material that surrounds them. Void vol- ume in the filler material is saturated with water, and during free-fall descent to the seafloor, a pressure compensation means equalizes pressures inside and outside the packaging structure and forces the filler

OLR (1983) 30 (8) G. New Patents 677

material into intimate contact about the drums; on the seafloor, the filler material hardens to produce a highly secure barrier to any leaking of radioactive waste.

4375299

AQUATIC WEEDER

Philip Laven

An aquatic weeder is provided which in- cludes an elongated handle with a general- ly rectangular, flat blad assembly rigidly mounted at the lower end therof. The weeder includes a pair of support straps extending f rom the handle to each end of the blade assembly. The blade assembly includes a flat rectanglular cutting blade sandwiched between a pair of rigid gener- ally rectangular support plates. The aquatic weeder is useful for cutting and pulling weed growth f rom the underwater soil surface just above the root tops to leave the underwater area growth free.

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