Patent ID: 9668461
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: A01K

Claim:
1. A skimmer assembly for a water feature comprising: a skimmer housing having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portion comprising an upper skimmer housing wall that is substantially open on top and on a side forming a continuous opening from a top of said skimmer housing to a side of said skimmer housing, the continuous opening being sized in a manner such that fish in the water feature can swim in and out of the upper portion of the skimmer housing without being trapped by a physical barrier, said lower portion is enclosed by a lower skimmer housing wall and in fluid communication with a conduit for transporting filtered water back into the water feature; a barrier extending radially inward from an inner surface of said upper skimmer housing wall and an inner surface of said lower skimmer housing wall, said barrier separates at least some of the water in the upper portion from at least some of the water in the lower portion; a debris collector comprising a lip at a top of the debris collector, said lip in contact with said barrier to prevent said debris collector from completely entering said lower portion, said debris collector extending downwardly from the barrier into the lower portion of the skimmer housing, wherein the debris collector retains at least some of the debris in water entering the skimmer housing through the upper portion; and a floating weir, said floating weir is disposed in the debris collector and moves in a vertical direction relative to the skimmer housing.