The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 11, 1999
Filed:
May. 09, 1997
Giovanni Baruzzi, Caracas, VE;
Stephen E Trenchard, Houston, TX (US);
Automatic Power, Inc., Houston, TX (US);
Abstract
A debris shedding buoy having a float body with a top and a bottom is provided. The buoy includes a slide rail, adapted for slidable engagement to a mooring line, is attached to the bottom of the float body. The slide rail is located in a generally centered position beneath the float body and is oriented in a first direction. A rudder device is affixed to the float body and adapted to produce a stabilizing force to maintain the float body in a quasi stable orientation with respect to a current direction, with the first direction being generally aligned to the current direction. Debris lodging against the float body overcomes the stabilizing force produced by the rudder device, causing the float body to rotate from the quasi stable orientation to a second orientation to shed the debris whereupon the float body rotates back to the quasi stable orientation.