Patent ID: 7159396

Claim:
A system for actuating a load comprising: a housing having an interior surface defining a chamber for containing a fluid; a float suspended in the chamber of the housing and operatively associated with the load such that movement of the float effects actuation of the load; and a fluid-supply assembly selectively delivering fluid into the housing under the float and evacuating the fluid therefrom, the float being reciprocatingly movable in the chamber in response to movement of the fluid into or out of the chamber, wherein (i) the fluid-supply assembly includes at least one fluid-conveying pipe operatively coupled to the load and fixedly mounted to the float to reciprocatingly move therewith away from or towards a bottom of the housing between an upper position and a lower position in response to delivering or evacuating the fluid into and out of the housing; and/or (ii) the housing includes a plurality of fluid-conveying channels in flow communication with each other and associated with a wall of the housing and configured to store a predetermined volume of fluid evacuated from the chamber.