Patent ID: 7455764

Claim:
An apparatus for continually skimming off a top layer of a body of liquid, comprising: a self adjusting container for collecting a top layer of a body of liquid, said container being adapted to seek an effective balanced position dependent on the liquid level for collecting the top layer; means for discharging the top layer collected by said container, said container being tiltably coupled to said means for discharging the collected top layer; the container being designed such that the tilting moment of the container caused by a buoyancy of the container, the buoyancy being a result of a liquid level differential, exceeds a frictional moment independent of the orientation of the container, the frictional moment being a result of the mutual cooperation of the container and the discharge means; and an elongated tubular feeding inlet coupled to said container for skimming the top layer of said body of liquid and feeding the container with the skimmed top layer, said elongated tubular feeding inlet having a volume smaller than a volume of the container, wherin said feeding inlet comprises a skimming mouth, said mouth being positioned at a distance from the container.