Patent Application
20130306524
This invention relates generally to shallow water, off-shore gold ore prospecting on the sea floor. My invention may replace the conventional method of offshore prospecting where a diver with a suction hose on the sea floor, suctions loose sea floor material to a floating dredge above.
All inventions relating to sea floor mining have in common the one central purpose, which is to gather the mineral or gold bearing ore. How they go about this process is what distinguishes one invention from another.
Virtually all offshore gold mining processes rely on a support vessel to process the gold rich ore transported to it from some machine located on the sea floor below. My invention conforms to this common practice, as it does require a floating work platform on the waterway's surface, which is usually referred to as a dredge. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,905,137, 6,178,670, 4,681,372, 3,950,030, 4,398,362, 6,003,952, 3,731,975, 3,672,725, 4,232,903, 3,588,174, 4,685,742, & 4,311,342 as examples of mining machines that require the use of typical support vessels.
Many underwater mining vehicles have a means of forward movement, with crawler style tracks being one of the most popular methods of sea floor locomotion, as displayed by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,742, 3,672,725, 3,731,975, 6,003,952, 6,178,670, & 3,905,137. Obviously, crawler style track propulsion is one of the more common methods of underwater mining-machine mobility. My invention conforms to this familiar means of locomotion.
Underwater machines gather the sea floor material, rich in gold bearing ore, usually by one of two primary methods. First, some machines use some type of suction head or device, as displayed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,681,372, 3,950,030, 4,685,742, & 3,588,174. Or second, other machines may use a collection method with some sort of scoops or paddles, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,742, 3,672,725, 4,398,362 or 3,731,975.
At this point, it should be pointed out that all inventions thus listed are presumed to operate in deep water environments only. In fact, an exhaustive prior art patent search does not reveal any shallow water, remotely operated, prospecting machines designed specifically for water depths as shallow as 2 meters, which my invention is fully capable of operating in.
Generally, one of the limiting factor of shallow water prospecting has been the necessary size of the support vessel for the machine's retrieval. Undoubtedly, a machine that weighs a few thousand pounds requires a large ship to lift it. This scenario creates another limiting factor, too, since a ship large enough to lift such a heavy machine, is also too large to be operated in shallow water. Therein lies a distinguishing feature of my invention that separates it from prior art. The unique feature of my invention that overcomes this quandary will be revealed in the summary section.
Prior art in the field of gold prospecting has many facets. There is open-pit mining, stream gold panning, underground tunneling, and deep sea prospecting, to name a few. However, when one narrows the field specifically to shallow water mining known as dredging, the prior art appears to be limited to either a human diver with a simple suction hose from a floating dredge, scouring the sea bed for material, or a dry land style, diesel powered excavator mounted on a barge.
The excavator mounted on a barge has its obviously limitations, such as the need for a huge floating platform to support the tremendous weight of the excavator, and its limited depth of reach. In any event, the floating excavator method of shallow water mining is beyond the scope and comparison of my invention.
The fundamental differences in the designs of prior art are largely due to:
Prior art of shallow water gold prospecting, relating more closely to my invention, is limited to a human diver, working in conjunction with a dredge, on the sea floor. My invention has the ability to replace this diver, and increase his productivity with much greater success.
Mining natural resources successfully, regardless of the method chosen, requires processing as much ore as possible in a given time period. It is as simple as that. The more ore processed, the more of a desired resource is obtained. As is often the case, and certainly with my invention, when a human laborer is replaced with a multi-functional machine, productivity is usually greatly enhanced.
Specified in detail, the invention includes the following:
The machine may have a set of crawler style tracks, however, different means of mobility are certainly considered, such as wheels, which may be mounted longitudinally in the direction of the vehicle's travel, each means operating independently, and both having the ability of at least one direction of motion.
The machine may have numerous hydraulic, fluid or air driven motors, each with a means for transferring its rotational energy, along with other hydraulic, fluid or air controlled devices, to operate said vehicle's various and sundry motions.
The machine is expected to operate in a forward progressive motion, in conjunction with a support vessel on the water's surface. It is further an object of this invention that at least one suction hose, along with numerous hydraulic hoses and air lines, will attach to said machine, and trail back to said support vessel.
The front set of counter-rotating blades may be mounted in a transverse manner to the machine's forward direction of movement, in a horizontal fashion, with a width dimension sufficiently wide enough to displace large rocks out of the track's path. Although counter-rotating blades are suggested, it is also contemplated, and an object of my invention that an oscillating forward and rearward thrusting apparatus could accomplish the same process.
The supporting arms for the counter-rotating set of blades may be hydraulically lowered or raised.
The machine may have a continuously revolving set of scoops to gather sea floor material for processing. Scoops are the preferred means for gathering said sea floor material, but it is envisioned paddles or shovels are also a consideration of my invention.
Material gathered by the revolving set of scoops may be delivered to a mesh-walled rotating drum for processing small desired ore separated from large unwanted gravel, a process known as classification. Classification, referring specifically to natural soil, is the separation of its constituent members into different groups of like-sized material.
As presently embodied, my invention includes a rotating mesh-walled drum, but it is not my intention to exclude other material classifiers that can accomplish the same function. These other styles of classifiers, such as grids, shaker screens, or sifters, are a consideration of my design.
Said rotating mesh-walled drum may allow said sought-after gold ore to fall through its mesh openings and this ore may settle on a stationary outer shield.
It may be pointed out that said mesh openings of said rotating mesh-walled drum may have a means for a range of different mesh opening sizes. Said different mesh opening sizes may be by way of, but not limited to, drop-in replacement panels, or entirely replacing said rotating mesh-walled drum.
Said stationary outer shield may be designed in such a way that it parallels at least part of said rotating mesh-walled drum's outer circumference, and it incorporates in its shape provisions for a screw conveyor, which is set in a trough. One or more wiper blades mounted lengthwise on said mesh-walled drum's outer surface may sweep said gold ore into said screw conveyor's trough.
Said screw conveyor, commonly referred to as an auger, which may have a flexible spiraling blade edge, situated in said trough, positioned below said mesh-walled rotating drum, may rotate in such a manner that said gold ore may be spirally directed rearward to drop through a discharge hole.
The machine may include a discharge hole at the bottom aft portion of said screw conveyor's trough to allow for the suctioning of said gold ore through an externally mounted device, wherein a suction hose may be attached to transfer said gold ore to the support vessel on the water's surface for further processing.
The machine may have a central support chassis to which all other members are attached.
At the end of a work-day of processing, the operator of the support vessel may cause the inflatable apparatus affixed to the machine to become inflated via a compressed air line from the support vessel, thereby greatly increasing the machine's buoyancy, therein allowing the support vessel to more easily winch the machine into its cradle dock. It is expected that this inflatable apparatus may increase the machine's buoyancy by a significant amount.
Among the various inflatable apparatuses contemplated, and are considered an object of my invention are: bellows, bladders, balloons, airbags, or any other apparatus such that when pressurized air is introduced to its interior, the apparatus will inflate and become more buoyant. The previous list of expandable bellows is not to suggest my invention may not also include other means to achieve buoyancy, such as solid-walled tanks, closed containers, drums, or any other sealed container such that when pressurized air is introduced to its interior it may add buoyancy to said machine.
Underwater lights and video cameras may be mounted on my invention to assist the dredge operator in monitoring the machine's performance.
These features thus mentioned, along with other features, will be made apparent from the detailed embodiment of the images contained herein. In the description references, match the corresponding number with those shown in
In the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the invention of a shallow-sea gold mining processor is best illustrated in
Referring to
The machine has a front mounted, counter-rotating set of blades 2, helically affixed to an axle shaft 37 that rotates in the direction 1, driven by a motor and a means to convey rotational energy 3.
Said rotational direction 1 of said counter-rotating set of blades 2, coupled with the helical mounting positions of said counter-rotating set of blades 2, has the effect of dislodging and knocking unwanted boulders ahead of the machine, and the successive blows of said counter-rotating set of blades 2 will laterally knock said unwanted boulders out of said machine's pathway.
Referring again to
It is an object of my invention that the front set of counter-rotating blades 2 be sufficiently wide enough to direct rocks and boulders laterally clear of said track's 27 pathway.
After the sea floor material is cleared of any unwanted boulders by said counter-rotating set of blades 2, and by the machine's forward motion, the conveyor belt of scoops 6, revolving in the direction 5, powered by a motor and a means to convey rotational energy 29 (
As said conveyor belt of scoops 6 delivers said sea floor material to the top aft end of said ramp 7, said sea floor material will cascade down inside of the rotating mesh-walled drum 12, which is rotating in the direction 16, and is held in place by castors 14, where through rotating action from the motor and a means for conveying rotational energy 26 (
Said rotating meshed-walled drum 12 has one or more externally mounted, flexible wiper blades 13 that will sweep the upper surface of the stationary shield 19, wiping all of the desired gold ore into trough 22. Screw conveyor 23, situated in said trough 22, spirally conveys said gold ore to the aft end of said trough 22, where said gold ore exits trough 22 as it is suctioned through the bottom aft opening 18, into the suction tube 17.
A suction hose 35 (FIG. 9—Image A) is attached to said suction tube 17. The inside region of said suction tube 17 and said bottom aft opening 18 are under a tremendous amount of suction, whereby said gold ore is transported to the dredge 31 (
It is an object of my invention that when said operator is ready to retrieve said machine 32 (
Winch cables attached to lifting hooks 9, affixed to said frame member 11, would experience a much greater lifting task if said inflatable apparatus 10 is raised above the water's surface. Therefore, prior to said inflatable apparatus 10 being raised above the waterline, said operator will then cause to inflate a second inflatable apparatus 30 (
Obviously, initially inflating said inflatable apparatus 24, without inflating said upper inflatable apparatus 10 could very possibly flip the machine upside down. Inflatable apparatus 10 offers significant stability in the retrieval process by creating a pulling force at the top of said machine. By coordinating a simple process of inflating said air apparatuses 10 and 24 in their proper sequence, a safe and logical retrieval is achieved.
It is commonly known that water has a weight of 62.5 pounds/cubic foot. Therefore, each cubic foot of pressurized air pumped into said inflatable apparatuses 10 or 24 when underwater, will displace this water, and increase the machine's buoyancy by approximately 62.5 lb.
It is anticipated that said inflatable apparatus 24 may have a potential air volume capacity such that its buoyancy may be completely capable of supporting said machine's 32 (
Said inflatable apparatuses 10 and 24 are key elements of my invention, and they enhance the profitability of the crew, due to the reduced need for a much larger support vessel. A smaller support vessel can operate in shallower water, and cost less to operate than a larger support vessel.
