Patent ID: 8225605

Claim:
An energy conversion system comprising: a shaft with a horizontal primary axis of rotation and a plurality of offset secondary portions; a bladder coupled to each secondary portion, each bladder having an upper end and a lower end and an interior; a positive pressure source and a negative pressure source; positive tubes coupling the positive pressure source with the interior of each bladder for inflation, negative tubes operatively coupling the negative pressure source with the interior of each bladder for deflation; a control assembly for sequentially inflating each bladder when rotating upwardly and for sequentially deflating each bladder when rotating downwardly; and a quantity of water submerging the bladders during their movement; and wherein the shaft has a discontinuous cylindrical primary portion with a horizontal axis of rotation, the shaft also having first and second diametrically opposed cylindrical secondary portions with horizontal secondary axes laterally offset a common distance from the primary portion, a plurality of bearings supporting the primary portion for rotational movement around the primary axis while the first and second secondary portions are adapted to rotate in a cylindrical path of travel around the primary axis.