Modular artificial reef, sea wall and marine habitat
First Claim
1. Apparatus for underwater applications, comprising:
- a modular unit having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls interconnected to form a hollow interior;
each of said side walls having a tapered section formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
each of said end walls extending generally vertically between said bottom wall and said top wall, said end walls each being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
said top wall being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
said modular unit being capable of being placed in an upright orientation with said top wall vertically above said bottom wall, and in an inverted orientation with said top wall vertically below said bottom wall;
said tapered section of each of said side walls being formed so that when one modular unit is placed in an upright orientation said tapered section of each of said side walls thereof is capable of engaging said tapered section of one of said side walls of a second modular unit placed in an inverted orientation adjacent thereto with said through bores in respective ones of said tapered sections aligning with one another.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A modular unit intended for use as an artificial reef, marine habitat and/or sea wall which can be placed in stacked structures along the floor of an ocean, bay, or other body of water comprises a top wall, bottom wall, opposed side walls and opposed end walls which are interconnected to form a hollow interior. Each of the walls is formed with one or more openings whose position and size is designed to allow access of marine life into the interior of the units, permit the passage of sunlight therein, direct the flow of sea water into and through the units in a way which increases stability of the units when placed on the ocean floor, and permit alignment of the holes of one unit with those of another when stacked together.
86 Citations
34 Claims
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1. Apparatus for underwater applications, comprising:
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a modular unit having a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls interconnected to form a hollow interior;
each of said side walls having a tapered section formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
each of said end walls extending generally vertically between said bottom wall and said top wall, said end walls each being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
said top wall being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
said modular unit being capable of being placed in an upright orientation with said top wall vertically above said bottom wall, and in an inverted orientation with said top wall vertically below said bottom wall;
said tapered section of each of said side walls being formed so that when one modular unit is placed in an upright orientation said tapered section of each of said side walls thereof is capable of engaging said tapered section of one of said side walls of a second modular unit placed in an inverted orientation adjacent thereto with said through bores in respective ones of said tapered sections aligning with one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. Apparatus for underwater applications, comprising:
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a modular unit including;
(i) a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls interconnected to form a hollow interior, (ii) each of said side walls having a tapered section formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
(iii) each of said end walls extending generally vertically between said bottom wall and said top wall, said end walls each being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
(iv) said top wall being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
(v) at least one support extending from said bottom wall of said modular unit;
an anchoring device adapted to rest upon the floor of the body of water, said anchoring device being formed with mounting structure which engages said at least one support to connect said modular unit to said anchoring device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A marine structure for underwater applications, comprising:
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a number of modular units each including;
(i) a top wall, a bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls interconnected to form a hollow interior, (ii) each of said side walls having a tapered section formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
(iii) each of said end walls extending generally vertically between said bottom wall and said top wall, said end walls each being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
(iv) said top wall being formed with a through bore which intersects said hollow interior;
each of said modular units being capable of being placed in an upright orientation with said top wall vertically above said bottom wall, and in an inverted orientation with said top wall vertically below said bottom wall;
a first group of modular units being located side-by-side in an upright orientation along the floor of a body of water, and a second group of modular units being located in between adjacent first modular units and placed in an inverted orientation so that said tapered section of each side wall of a modular unit in said second group contacts said tapered section of one side wall of one modular unit and said tapered section of one side wall of an adjacent modular unit in said first group. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification