Patent Application
20080226859
1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to products made for use with outdoor ponds. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention assist in the maintenance, protection, and concealment of outdoor ponds.
2. Related Technology
Outdoor ponds or lagoons are used in a wide variety of industries for numerous purposes. For examples, use of outdoor ponds or lagoons is standard practice is industries ranging from mining, transportation, and municipal treatment, to golf courses. In fact, many industries that produce tailings use outdoor ponds or lagoons to store and/or treat the tailings produced.
While outdoor ponds can be extremely useful in their application, certain problems may arise. Particularly, birds, bats, and other wildlife may land in or glide through outdoor ponds. While in some instances the presence of the wildlife may be annoying, in other instances the wildlife may be dangerously exposed to toxic substances present in the outdoor ponds.
In order to prevent wildlife from contacting the outdoor ponds many pond-covering methods have been developed. For example, steel nets can be placed over a pond to inhibit birds from landing on the surface of the pond. Unfortunately, covering methods such as steel nets are difficult to put in place and often, because of their rigid shape, do not adequately cover the entire pond surface.
Another pond-protection method involves covering the pond with small balls, usually made of plastic. The balls float on the surface of the pond, with enough balls placed upon the pond to cover the entire pond surface. For ponds having a curved or non-uniform shape, the balls are able to conform to the shape of the pond and still cover the entire surface. Thus, wildlife is prevented from contacting the pond surface and the pond surface is covered, regardless of the shape of the pond.
Although these pond-protection balls are an improvement over other methods for covering outdoor ponds, there are still shortcomings in the design of such balls. For example, the shape of many pond-protection balls is such that even when the balls are packed closely in a pond, gaps are present between adjacent balls. Such gaps can decrease heat retention in ponds, and can also contribute to algal growth by allowing sunlight to reach the surface of the ponds.
What is needed are products to cover ponds that are able to maximize the surface area of the pond that is completely covered.
A flotation object, which floats on the surface of an outdoor pond has a circular middle portion and two symmetric hexagonal end portions. When flotation objects are placed in a pond the objects fit closely together and substantially interlock. Substantially the entire surface of an outdoor pond is covered by the flotation objects, thus the pond is protected from wildlife and providing other benefits.
These and other aspects of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.
To further clarify the above and other aspects of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The drawings are not drawn to scale. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
Embodiments of the present invention include flotation objects for use on outdoor ponds, lagoons, and other bodies of water. The shape of the flotation objects allows each object to substantially interlock with adjacent flotation objects, thus forming a substantially interlocking cover for an outdoor pond. The flotation objects are able to substantially cover the entire surface of the pond, thereby providing many benefits such as, for example, preventing birds and other wildlife from contacting the surface of or landing on the pond, preventing algae growth within the pond, enhancing heat retention in the pond, reducing evaporation from the pond, reducing foul smell that may be emitting from the pond, and so forth. Other benefit offered by embodiments of the present invention include, for example, allowing rainwater to pass through the flotation objects and into the pond.
With attention now to
The flotation object 100, or flotation ball, or hexi-ball, includes a circular middle portion 102. Flotation object 100 further includes a first hexagonal end portion 104 and a second hexagonal end portion 106, each of which is connected to circular middle portion 102. In one embodiment of the invention, the width of circular middle portion 102 is less than the width of each of first hexagonal end portion 104 and second hexagonal end portion 106. Moreover, first hexagonal end portion 104 and second hexagonal end portion 106 are substantially symmetric.
Each of first hexagonal end portion 104 and 106 includes a hexagon end piece 108 and a side portion 110, with side portion 110 further including side walls 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, and 122. Where adjacent side walls 112, 114, 116, 118, 120, and 122 meet, ridges 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, and 134 are present. Each of ridges 124, 126, 128, 130, 132, and 134 extends from a vertex of hexagon end piece 108. In one embodiment of the invention hexagon end piece 108 of first hexagonal end portion 104 includes a small hole 136. Flotation object 100 ranges in size from 1 inch to 12 inches, measuring from hexagon end piece of end portion 104 to hexagon end piece 108 of end portion 106. In one embodiment of the invention the size of flotation object 100 is 1 inch to 4 inches.
After flotation object 100 has been fabricated and is still warm flotation object 100 may be placed into a cooling bath. In one embodiment of the invention, therefore, flotation object 100 may be partially filled with water (not shown). Finally, small hole 136 may be sealed with a sealant, such as, for example, a silicone based sealant. In another embodiment of the invention the small hole 136 is heat sealed.
With attention now to
With attention now the
When an entire body of water is covered in flotation objects, the flotation objects interlock as described above to substantially cover the entire surface of the water. The unique shape of the flotation objects allows the flotation objects to fit together more closely than flotation objects of other shapes. Thus, flotation objects as described in embodiments of the present invention provide a covering for outdoor ponds and other bodies of water that protects ponds from wildlife, contributes to heat retention, contributes to decreased algae growth, and provides numerous other benefits, including, for example, allowing rainwater to permeate the layer of flotation objects and enter the pond. Moreover, embodiments of the present invention also include flotation objects of a variety of colors and combinations of colors, thus contributing to the aesthetics of the layer of flotation objects covering an outdoor pond.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its essential characteristics. The embodiments described above are to be considered in all respects only as representative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by the following claims rather than by the preceding description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
