Abstract:
Method and apparatus discloses a dock having a floatatable aeration system incorporated therein. The dock may be a floating or a fixed pier system having a walkway for users to move about the dock, a plurality of boat berthing slips which may be designed to accommodate one or more boats in each slip, along with individual finger-like docks disposed between each boat berthing area. Incorporated at various locations in the dock is an aeration system that includes aerators having a single or double concaved surface at the top of a fluid intake chamber for diverting aerated fluid away from the enclosure of the aerator.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to boat docks and, more particularly, is concerned with a boat dock having an aeration system incorporated therein. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Aeration systems related to boat docks have been described in the related art, however, none of the related art devices disclose the unique features of the present invention. 
     In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0001291 dated Jan. 2, 2003, Stevens disclosed an apparatus and method for preventing growth of marine organisms. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0075400 dated Mar. 25, 2010, Kania, et al., disclosed a low-cost microbial habitat from water quality enhancement and wave mitigation. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,550,079 dated Jun. 23, 2009, Hughes disclosed a system and method for water restoration. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,876 dated Jan. 13, 1970, Lowrance disclosed a method and apparatus for improving fishing under a fishing dock. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,091 dated Feb. 9, 1999, Gross, et al., disclosed a float mounted aerator having a work deck. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,557 dated Mar. 5, 1991, Anderson disclosed a floating, mixing, aerating and decanting method. In U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0042324 dated Feb. 24, 2011, Hughes disclosed a system and method for water restoration. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,548 dated Jan. 25, 2011, McGuffin, the inventor of the present invention, disclosed a floatatable aerator system. 
     While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as hereinafter described. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     The present invention discloses a dock having an aeration system incorporated therein. The dock may be a floating or a fixed pier system having a walkway or deck for users to move about the dock, a plurality of boat berthing slips which may be designed to accommodate one or more boats in each slip, along with individual finger-like docks disposed between each boat berthing area. Also incorporated therein may be a gangway with handrails for attaching the dock to a more permanent or land based structure. Incorporated at various locations in the dock is an aeration system that includes aerators having a concaved surface at the top of a fluid intake chamber for diverting aerated fluid away from the enclosure of the aerator. The aerators of the dock have a water intake and a water outlet which may have a single discharge or double, oppositely disposed discharge having a plurality of aerating tubular members which are used to move or pump the water through the aerator and also to aerate the water as it is pumped through the aerator. 
     The aerators of the present invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,548 dated Jan. 25, 2011 to McGuffin, the inventor of the present invention. U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,548, in a broad sense, discloses a method and apparatus for a floatatable aerator system comprising a hollow chamber supported by floats, the chamber having a concaved rear surface, a fluid intake chamber having a fluid inlet and a top aerated fluid diverter created by the concaved rear surface; a fluid aerator assembly for injecting air into fluid received through the fluid inlet to form aerated fluid; and, a bank of lateral outlet ports for expelling the diverted aerated fluid funneled along the concaved rear surface. 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an aerator disposed on a dock wherein the dock may be a fixed or floating dock. A further object of the present invention is to aerate the water under and around the dock. A further object of the present invention is to provide a dock which can be used to berth boats. A further object of the present invention is to aerate the water around the dock so as to improve the quality of the water in and about the dock. A further object of the present invention is to provide an aerated dock which can be easily used by an operator. A further object of the present invention is to provide an aerated dock which can be relatively easily and inexpensively manufactured. 
     The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a first embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an aerator of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of an aerator of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross sectional view of a second embodiment of an aerator of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     With regard to reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the drawings.
           10  present invention     12  main walkway of dock     14  finger walkway of dock     15  dock     16  berthing slip for vessel     17  pile     18  vessel     20  aerator with single discharge     22  aerator with double discharge     24  discharge stream/direction arrows     26  floating dock     28  float     30  inlet water/fluid     32  inlet     34  outlet/discharge     35  water surface     36  chassis     38  aeration system     40  fluid     42  aeration diffuser     44  hollow chamber     46   a  top wall     46   b  front wall     46   c  concaved back wall     46   d  bottom wall     48   a  end baffle wall     48   b  end baffle wall     48   c  interior baffle wall     48   d  interior baffle wall     50  fluid uptake chamber     52  arrow designating discharge water     54  air inlet port     56  outlet/discharge     58  central hollow chamber     60  concave wall     62  baffle wall     64  bottom     66  shore     68  first end portion     70  second end portion     72  first side     74  second side     76  gangway     78  upper surface     80  lower surface     82  cavity     84  cover     86  angle iron member     88  fastener     90  water body     92  conduit(s)       

     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The following discussion describes in detail at least one embodiment of the present invention. This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the present invention to the particular embodiments described herein since practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For a definition of the complete scope of the invention the reader is directed to the appended claims.  FIGS. 1 through 5  illustrate the present invention wherein an aeration system for a dock is disclosed which system is generally indicated by reference number  10 . 
     There is a great concern by everyone about pollution of our waterways, especially, sources of our drinking water. A major source of pollution in our drinking water reservoirs are marinas. Marinas are sometimes referred to as a Point of Pollution (POP). The Clean Water Act attempts to address this issue but has not identified a solution. 
     The present invention discloses a potential solution for the problem. The present invention discloses an aerator system built into a floating or fixed dock which are a major source of pollution at marinas. A major water quality issue at marinas is low dissolved oxygen and a major benefit of the present invention is that the aerators help increase the level of dissolved oxygen. Also, another advantage of the present invention is that the aerator units are expected to be out of sight and will not impede boat traffic. It is believed that the Coast Guard will spend several million dollars on floating dock systems next year and millions more every year for repairs. There are an estimated 97,000 permitted marinas in the U.S. so the potential problems are enormous. 
     Turning to  FIG. 1 , therein is shown an exemplary layout of the present invention  10  having a dock generally designated by reference number  15 . Each dock  15  may have a major walkway or deck portion  12  on the dock, upon which users can walk, and may also have a plurality of finger walkway portions  14  along with a plurality of vessel or boat berthing slips  16  and also having a plurality of vessels  18  being docked or moored at the dock. Each dock  15  is expected to have a first end portion  68  and a second end portion  70  along with oppositely disposed first  68  and second  70  side portions so that the walkways  12 ,  14  are disposed thereinbetween the side portions. It is expected that a connecting portion or gangway  76  (shown in phantom line), or the like, will also be provided for securing the dock  15  to the shore  66 . Also shown are a plurality of aerators wherein the aerators may have a single discharge  20  or aerators may have a double discharge  22 , each showing the discharge stream  24  by using direction arrows to indicate the flow of water. The present invention  10  can thus incorporate a plurality of aerators  20 ,  22  into the dock  15  which aerators may have a single or one-sided discharge or flow, or, a double-sided discharge or flow. The aerators  20 ,  22  can be adapted to any of the virtually limitless patterns of floating dock systems which already exist or may be built in the future. The aerators  20 ,  22  may be located at any point of the dock including along the fingers  14 , at the ends of the fingers, along the main walkway  12 , or at the head of the boat berthing slip  18 . A plurality of spaced apart piles  17 , which may be mooring piles, are shown for providing structural support between the dock and the bottom  64  (not shown see  FIG. 2 ) of the water body for the exemplary dock  15  shown in  FIG. 1  which dock is affixed to the bottom of the water body. 
     Turning to  FIG. 2 , therein is shown an exemplary portion of a floating dock  26  of the present invention  10  showing the dock  26  along with the floats  28  for the dock and an exemplary aerator  20  or  22  having a generally upwardly inlet flow shown by direction arrows  30  into the intake  32  of the aerator along with an outlet, divided into outlet ports  34   a ,  34   b ,  34   c , on the aerator which creates a circular flow pattern from the bottom portion to the upper portion of the water body  90 . Since the water with the lower dissolved oxygen and other pollutants is generally nearer the bottom, this circular water flow pattern is generally beneficial to the water quality of the water body  90 . Also shown is the water surface  35  of the water body  90 . Floats  28  may be made of any suitable material and may be in the form of buoys or buoyant material. Also shown is the dock  15 , a walkway which could be either  12  or  14  as earlier disclosed, upper surface  78 , upon which users walk, and lower surface  80 . Also shown is a cavity or space  82  underneath the walkway  12 ,  14  for housing the aerator  20 ,  22  wherein the cavity is covered by a removable access cover or hatch  84  so the aerators can be accessed or removed for servicing when the cover/hatch is removed. The aerators  20 ,  22  could be mounted to the dock  15  in numerous ways, however for illustration purposes only, the aerators are shown mounted to angle iron members  86 , which angle iron members are disposed around the inner surface of the cavity  82 , using a plurality of fasteners  88 , e.g., nuts and bolts, which attach to a flange member  94  disposed around the upper edge of the aerator chassis  36  so that the aerators are removably, fixedly attached to the dock  15 . 
     The present invention  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , including the dock  15 , piles  17 , aerators  20 ,  22 , floats  28  and related appurtenances, may be constructed of any suitable material as would be done in the standard manner by one skilled in the art. Furthermore, the dock  15  may be equipped with lights, mooring cleats, benches and/or fish cleaning tables, and other appurtenances as would be done in the standard manner by one skilled in the art. 
     The aerators  20 ,  22  are described and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,874,548, dated Jan. 25, 2011, to Thomas R. McGuffin, the inventor of the present invention. However, it is expected that it would be possible to incorporate other types of aerators into the design and embodiments of the present invention. 
     Turning to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , therein is disclosed an aerator  20  having a single inlet or uptake  32  and a single discharge  34  which aerator is comprised of a floatatable chassis-like enclosure  36  having an aerating system  38  coupled thereto, the aerating system  38  aerating fluid  40  flowing through the aerator chassis  36 . Also shown are the air diffusers or outlets  42 . The floatatable chassis  36  increases the buoyancy of the dock  15  of the present invention  10  provided by other conventional floats  28 . 
     The floatable aerator chassis  36  has a side profile that resembles a “T”-shape (see  FIG. 3 ) and a top view that resembles a “U”-shape (see  FIG. 3 ). The flotatable aerator chassis  36 , which has its own floatatable characteristics independently of the float(s)  28  of the dock, comprises an upper hollow chamber  44  bounded by a top wall  46   a , front wall  46   b , a concaved back wall  46   c , and a bottom wall  46   d . The hollow chamber  44  is supported by a plurality of baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b ,  48   c  and  48   d . The two end baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b  serve as side walls for the hollow chamber  44  and extend past both the length and depth of the hollow chamber  44 . The interior baffle walls  48   c ,  48   d  extend the length of the hollow chamber  44 . Additional means for flotation (not shown), in the form of air cavities or flotation material, is disposed on the inside of the chassis  36 . 
     The aerator chassis  36  further includes a fluid uptake chamber  50  having a fluid intake port or inlet  32  for intaking fluid  30  from beneath the chassis and a discharge port or outlet  34  located between baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b . The opening of the fluid uptake chamber  50  is displaced approximately 90 degrees with respect to the openings of the discharge  34  which is further divided into apertures or ports  34   a ,  34   b ,  34   c  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     The discharge port  34   a ,  34   b ,  34   c  shares the concaved back wall  46   c  of the hollow chamber  44  to funnel or divert water behind the hollow chamber  44  between the two end baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b . The concaved back wall  46   c  provides approximately a 90 degree elbow for the flow of aerated water in the uptake chamber  50  directly to the bank of discharge ports  34   a ,  34   b ,  34   c  as best seen in  FIG. 4 . Arrow  52  in  FIG. 4  shows the water discharge. As can be readily seen the extended end baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b  create a semi-enclosed area or pool wherein aerated water collects thereinbetween. 
     The aerator system  38  comprises an air inlet port or conduit  54  coupled to the front wall  46   b  or other suitable portion of hollow chamber  44 . The inlet port  54  is adapted to be coupled to a flexible hose (not shown) which is coupled to an air or other oxygen source (not shown) as would be done in the standard manner by one skilled in the art. The air inlet conduit  54  conveys air through a series of conduit(s)  92  down to the plurality of air diffusers  42  inside and near the lower end of fluid uptake chamber  50  forming air jets which force air directly in the path of fluid  30  so that the rising air bubbles create a forceful pattern of fluid flow from beneath the chassis  36  upwardly and out the discharge apertures or ports  34   a ,  34   b ,  34   c.    
     The aerating system  38  receives fluid or water  30  up through the inlet port  32  (as shown by arrows  30  on  FIG. 4 ) where the fluid is subjected to air jet streams from a plurality of air diffusers  42 . The fluid or water  30  is thus aerated and forced upward through the chassis  36  where the fluid diverter in the form of concaved back wall  46   c  funnels or diverts the aerated fluid out through discharge port  34   a ,  34   b ,  34   c . In one embodiment, the uptake chamber  50  is approximately in the center of the length of the two end baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b . The flotatable aerator  20  in conjunction with floats  28  suspend the dock  12 ,  14  and aerator(s)  20  in the water so that an upper portion of the hollow chamber  44  remains above water and, preferably, the inlet port  32  remains above the subterranean earth disposed on the bottom  64  (see  FIG. 2 ) of a pond, reservoir, bay, river or like water body. 
     By way of general explanation, the aerators  20 ,  22  require an anchoring system for attachment to the dock  15  of the present invention  10  as would be done in the standard manner by one skilled in the art so as to maintain their position on the surface of the water, otherwise they could move in the water. Suitable mounting means could include brackets, flanges and/or straps, or the like. The floating capability of aerator  20 ,  22  may be due to lightweight floatatable PVC, top hollow chamber, or other similar flotation devices. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the aerators  20 ,  22  could be mounted to the dock  15  using angle iron members  86 , which angle iron members are disposed around the inner surface of the cavity  82 , using a plurality of fasteners  88 , e.g., nuts and bolts, which attach to a flange member  94  disposed around the upper edge of the aerator chassis  36  so that the aerators are removably, fixedly attached to the dock  15 . 
     Turning to  FIG. 5 , therein is shown an alternative embodiment for an aerator  22  of the present invention  10  having oppositely disposed or directed double water discharges  56 , however, in most other respects this embodiment is similar to the previous embodiment of aerator  20 . Also shown are centrally disposed hollow chamber  58 , fluid  30 , two concaved walls  60 , two baffle walls  62 , two inlet ports  32 , two fluid uptake chambers  50 , two aerating systems  38  and multiple sets of air diffusers  42 . 
     By way of summary, and with reference to  FIGS. 1-5 , the present invention  10  aerates a body of water  90  surrounding a boat dock  15 , and comprises: a dock  15  disposed on the body of water  900 ; at least one aerator  20 ,  22  disposed on the dock to permit the water of body to be aerated; the aerator further comprising a chassis  36 ; a water uptake chamber  50  having a water inlet  32  at a bottom portion of the chassis, a water diverter  46   c  disposed at an upper portion of the chassis, the diverter having a concaved surface to permit aerated water to be diverted therefrom; a water aerator assembly  38  for injecting air into the water  30  received through the water inlet to form aerated water  52 , and, at least one lateral outlet port  34  for expelling the diverted aerated water away from the dock; furthermore, the chassis having a hollow chamber  44 , the hollow chamber having a top wall  46   a , a front wall  46   b , and a pair of end baffle walls  48   a ,  48   b  on opposite sides of the top wall, the end baffle walls extending beyond a rear end of the top wall, downwardly extending fluid uptake chamber  50  having a fluid inlet port  32  at a bottom thereof located between front and rear ends of the end baffle walls, and extending a full width of the hollow chamber between the end baffle walls; a plurality of spaced elongated tubular members  42  located within the fluid uptake chamber adjacent the fluid inlet port and extending the full width of the fluid uptake chamber, each tubular member having spaced apart apertures  42  for injecting air into said fluid; means for supplying air to the tubular members for aerating the fluid; and, a concaved back wall of the hollow chamber located at an upper end of the fluid uptake chamber for directing flowing fluid back directly into the reservoir or pond, the flowing fluid being directed into a semi-enclosed pool formed between the end baffle walls extending beyond the rear end of the top wall; furthermore, it comprises a plurality of parallel baffle walls  48   c ,  48   d  under the top wall between the end baffle walls extending from the front wall to the concaved back; further, a side view of the apparatus resembles a T-shape (see  FIG. 4 ,  5 ); and a top view of the apparatus resembles a U-shape (see  FIG. 3 ); furthermore, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the hollow chamber has a first and second fluid uptake chamber having a first and second fluid inlet and a top aerated fluid diverter having a first and second concaved back wall; a first and second fluid aerator assembly for injecting air into the fluid received through said first and second fluid inlet to form aerated fluid; and, first and second oppositely disposed lateral outlet ports for expelling the diverted aerated fluid.