Increasing the speed of boats by injecting
bubbles under the hull1
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Ships could inject small bubbles along the ull of the boat.
This way the drag could be reduced
and less fuek is needed: beneficial cost wise, and for
environment. [Image by Y. Kodama et.al.]
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This figure depicts a process for reducing the drag of boats: a
small amount of bubbles injected under a boat can reduce its drag by up to 50%.
This intriguing invention could be very useful to naval and commercial shipping
companies as by using this idea, savings could be made on fuel and
transportation costs could be reduced. This phenomenon has recently been
investigated by Dutch Researchers at the University of Twente.
Try to find patents relating to similar systems using esp@cenet®.
More on this phenomenon.
tnweb.tn.utwente.nl
Solution to the last quiz
An anti-frost chimney
The following text relates to an innovation that won a Rolex Award
in 1998: "In February 2000, several chimney-like structures appeared in a
walnut grove in Northern California. The owner of the 250-acre Shur Farms,
Steve Hammersmith, had been told that by installing these devices he could
protect his crop from late frosts. During the following spring, though he
counted around six episodes of frost, the walnuts remained unharmed. It was the
first time the crop had emerged unscathed in 18 years."
The chimney works as follows: "During a frost night with clear
skies, the soil surface loses heat by long wave radiation causing a
stratification of air layers with the coldest (densest) layers sitting closer
to the soil surface. The System selectively drains the coldest layers of air -
responsible for frost damage - from the orchard, mechanically expelling it
upwards out of the plantation area some 80 - 100m where it is dispersed in the
warmer inversion layer."
Try to retrieve patents covering similar systems using
esp@cenet®.
Solution to the last quiz
Step one: To retrieve similar patents, define the
concepts best covering the invention - common technical features that may be
found in patents relating to the subject - and per concept, construct the most
comprehensive set of synonyms covering it. These sets of synonyms can then be
combined as keywords in the patent database.
In our case, the following concepts - groups of synonyms
covering the different aspects of the invention - can be defined:
- frost, freez*
- ground, soil
- blow*, fan
- pipe, chimney
- orchard, plant*
The combination "fan frost orchard" yields the following
results
This list contains one relevant patent:
US4753034 Anti-frost fan
Step two: check the classification assigned to the
relevant patent(s) you have retrieved and use this classification to continue
the search.
The classification assigned to this patent
(A01G13/08) corresponds to: "Mechanical apparatus for
circulating the air to protect plants".
This classification covers our invention but not exclusively as
apparatus classified under this symbol can also blow out heated air to prevent
frost. However, patents relating to our system should be classified under
A01G13/08.
Using this classification as a search criteria yields the
following list.
By checking the list, you can detect many relevant
patents:
US4838761, Methods and apparatus for preventing or
retarding fruit and vegetable freezing
US4501089, Frost control
You can obtain the original patent covering the product
described in the article by conducting an inventor search. The inventor
mentioned in the Rolex Award description is "Rafael Guarga". Looking for this
name as an inventor yields:
US5647165, Selective inverted drain, which was also
available in the previous list.
This search shows that several persons have patented inventions
for cold air draining systems. The specific scope of the patent covering the
invention described in the article can be found by reading the patent claims.
1.
Test your patent-searching skills!
The esp@cenet quiz is an exercise proposed to our readers. Its aim
is to show that patent searching can be an exciting quest, yielding relevant
results in almost all technical fields. («)
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